The department was founded in 1930 under the name ‘Metaalkunde’. Over the years, its name was changed twice in order to match closer the educational and research activities of those times. The first change was implemented in 1984 to ‘Metaalkunde en Toegepast Materiaalkunde’ (Metallurgy and Materials Engineering) whereas the second change was implemented in 2014 to ‘Materiaalkunde’ (Materials Engineering).

The Department of Materials Engineering (MTM), within the Faculty of Engineering Science, is responsible for education, research and services in the field of materials science, balancing fundamental and applied research under the umbrella of sustainability. Important values are relevance for society, continuity and trust and confidentiality in long-term-co-operation with strong industrial partners.

IT RawMaterials, initiated and funded by the EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology), a body of the European Union, is the largest and strongest consortium in the raw materials sector worldwide. Its vision is to develop raw materials into a major strength for Europe. Its mission is to boost competitiveness, growth and attractiveness of the European raw materials sector via radical innovation, new educational approaches and guided entrepreneurship.

EIT RawMaterials unites more than 120 partners from leading industry, universities and research institutions from more than 20 EU countries. Partners of EIT RawMaterials are active across the entire raw materials value chain; from exploration, mining and mineral processing to substitution, recycling and circular economy. They collaborate on finding new, innovative solutions to secure the supplies and improve the raw materials sector in Europe.

EIT RawMaterials aims to significantly enhance innovation in the raw materials sector by sharing knowledge, facilitating matchmaking activities, developing innovative technologies and supporting business creation.